Alembic Elan 6 - Serial No. 90H 5747

[geepee]

The Jimmy Johnson? Oh wow, hello! Big fan!

Well, firstly it runs off the 9V, so no external PSU and sadly there are no LED's on this bass. The plan is to remove the 4pin XLR and switch it for a 5 pin so I can run off the Alembic DS5.

My theory behind the resistor is the grey wire it's connected is too short so the only way to make the connection at the time was to add the resistor but that would be...unusual surely? Anyway, thanks for you opinion!

[JimmyJ]

Hey George,

Well everybody knows a Jimmy Johnsons but if you mean the life-long Alembic 5-string bass player guy, that's me.  And if so, thanks!

This is a lovely looking bass and we hope you're enjoying how it feels. Are you sure there are no LEDs?  Where does that gray wire go? 

I presume you can't get any audio out of yet because there is only the 4-pin jack?

The Elan electronics are built to operate at 9VDC and a DS-5 puts out nearly +/- 20V or a 40VDC swing.  It would take a mod to drop that to the required 9V.  Not impossible, but it would be unusual.  But hey, it's already unusual!

That 4-pin jack is a mod that was made by somebody - quite sure it was not done by Alembic - and most likely designed to run the bass using an external power supply.  That's the only explanation I can think of because in fact there seems no other way to get sound out of the instrument other than via that 4-pin jack.  So my guess is that somebody built a DS-5-like 9-volt external power supply which ran +/- voltage to 2 of the pins and the output sound from the bass appeared at the other 2 pins.  Obviously that would also require a custom cable.  That's my theory.

My question about this bass as it is would be; how do you turn off the battery power?  I believe the original design included a "switching" 1/4" jack which would power up the electronics only when plugged in.  That's not available here so I wonder how the modifier ran it.  Perhaps they never had a battery inside and only used an external supply?

One last observation; you'd better pull that battery out and inspect the connector because I think I see some corrosion...

Thanks for the good puzzle.  We'll try to help you figure this out and get that thing running soon.  Play it acoustically in the meantime.

Jimmy J

[Phil P]

Hi Jimmy. I look after Georges basses but I'm overseas at the moment. I was writing this as you replied. George and I spent some time on skype going through the problems with this bass. Firstly the silver loaded paint lining the cavity is not grounded via the XLR hence the hum. It plays fine but just hums. Grounding it improves that. The 4.6k resistor is in series with the signal lead, not the battery lead. As this is the only bass with this package either of us own, I'm not sure if it is part of the original design. Maybe Mica can confirm?
There dont appear to be any LEDs. The grey wire is the hot signal wire.

Two of the pins are linked in the adapter lead that came with the bass. It has no provision for an external power supply. When it is plugged in the battery is activated by the link in the lead.  The other two pins are connected to an inline jack socket!!
One wonders why this mod was done at all. All the soldering that is not original is poor.

There are a couple of possibilities to restore this. George routinely uses a DS5 so a 5 pin xlr with a voltage regulator or reed relay to switch on the battery would work. The 4 pin XLR has been installed at 90 degrees to the usual series bass installation. It just looks wrong and I think the screw holes will show if a Switchcraft XLR is put the 'right' way. I could fabricate a small plate to mount a jack socket or go for a 5 pin and a jack but that means another hole and room appears tight.

I'll be sorting this bass out next time I'm back in the UK in April. It'll be a fine addition to his collection.

[rv_bass]

Phil, my Starfire with Anniversary electronics has a five pin and 1/4 jack with battery, so it can be done, but I have no idea how to wire it. It was installed by Alembic.

[Phil P]

RV, Thanks. Yes the wiring is straightforward as is the power control mod. If there is room to put both 5 pin and a jack I feel that is the way to go. I measured a switchcraft socket and the screw holes will definitley show if I use a switchcraft socket the right way round. I might use a Neutrik instead if that'll cover the holes and look better.
I know what to do with the electronics, I added CVQ to the Anniversary electronics in Direwolf and made my own series 1 into a series 2. My upgrades are 100% reversible though. No wood gets cut. 

However I figure drilling to put a jack back in this elan is sort of OK.

[JimmyJ]

Hey Phil,

Thanks for clarifying.  That's pretty interesting!  So it did come with a cable / adaptor which shorts two pins of the 4-pin XLR to turn on the electronics package, and then has an inline 1/4" jack to connect to a standard guitar cable?  That's wild!  OK, how about this for a "why?" theory:  Perhaps the original 1/4" jack with switch failed and for some reason couldn't be sourced so they came up with this method?  As for the inline resistor in the signal path ... who knows?

At least now I know you're getting sound out of it. I'm sure you guys will get this dialed in, and the end result will be a unique one!  It's also a fine looking machine.

Good luck!
Jimmy J

[Phil P]

Spot on Jimmy. I'm stunned anyone would cut wood to remove an onboard jack and then rely on an inline jack screwing up the grounding in the process.

[geepee]

Well those were all very good to read and informative! I agree with all points. I probably won't be gigging it until it's sorted because we all know how horrible hum is through PA speakers! For home use it's fine and the additional 6th string is still kinda weird. Anyway, it shall be sorted but in the meantime here's how it sounds for those who haven't seen the vid yet. 


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1a9pLqnBKs

Thanks!
George

[edwardofhuncote]

Well, that's just about the coolest thing I've heard in a while. The extra C string has always intimidated me, but when I hear it in this context... hmmm. Maybe I should give it a chance.


Well done, as always George. Great play.


(You seein' this too, Dave?)

[David Houck]

... (You seein' this too, Dave?)

Not sure which Dave you're asking, but if me then yes, following this thread with interest.  This bass looks similar to mine.